It's Dame Time!

[jschligs]

Hell, if I'm a millionaire and single Miami would be absolutely near the top of my list. As a poor married dude I didn't much enjoy it. Looking at the cool yachtes and nice places I can't go gets boring fast, but being able to do and use all those things would be a game changer.

[buckboy]

I think that one of the reasons Dame wanted to go to the Heat is that there are no state taxes in Florida. With the impending divorce which is likely to cost him lots of money, no state taxes would have been immensely helpful for him. There might be Nba teams in other states with no state income taxes, but they are probably much weaker teams than the Heat.

He got married 2 years ago.

You'd think there's a prenup.

Edit: and if there's not, he's a damn fool.

[skbucks1985]

I'll just say that I feel weird talking about pretty much anyone's marriage, but especially two people that I've never met.

Anyhoo... The more I read about Dame the more my concerns about his defense begin to be allayed. For one, the numbers suggest he's much closer to an average player than the 'can't defend a parked car' reputation that he seems to have. Secondly, he was asked about it at media day and he seemed very aware of his defensive reputation and seemed very keen on changing that reputation. Third, he's such a smart player that now that he's not going to be such an offensive focal point that he can devote more energy defensively that he should be able to be a decent player on that end.

[Daver]

I think that one of the reasons Dame wanted to go to the Heat is that there are no state taxes in Florida. With the impending divorce which is likely to cost him lots of money, no state taxes would have been immensely helpful for him. There might be Nba teams in other states with no state income taxes, but they are probably much weaker teams than the Heat.

He got married 2 years ago.

You'd think there's a prenup.

Edit: and if there's not, he's a damn fool.

I heard he was happily married cause in the middle of dame going to miami everyone was saying how much his wife n kids will love it there

[crowhead76]

https://www.nba.com/bucks/news/what-dame-time-means-for-bucks-fans

Good read

Yup, I'm learning that I was underrating Dame. However, I remain correct on my thinking that Chauncy Billups is a bum of a coach.

The duo could be the most dangerous pick-and-roll combination in the league.

There will be no good options for defenses in such circumstances, and Milwaukee will draw such defensive attention to the pick in the middle of the floor that it will see its frequency of corner 3-pointers from role players skyrocket. Milwaukee drew the sixth-lowest rate of tags out of pick and rolls last year, meaning defenses got away with not bringing extra help from the corners. That won’t be tenable this season. Still, last year, Milwaukee attempted the seventh-highest rate of corner triples. It could lead the league this year.

Milwaukee will now roster two of the seven players who received the most double-teams per game last year. The spacing benefits for everyone other than Lillard and Antetokounmpo should be enormous. Last year, the Bucks attempted the fifth-highest rate of heavily contested catch-and-shoot triples in the league while taking the fourth-lowest rate of uncontested or lightly contested paint shots last year. The quality of those looks across the board will improve as a result of the defensive attention Lillard will draw. With Lillard stretching defenses well beyond the arc, a simple skip pass will put defenses in rotation. Milwaukee’s stable of shooters and cutters will feast on the carcass of opposing defenses.

Khris Midddleton, especially, should see his efficiency bump up. Middleton has a well-earned reputation as a tough-shot maker, and because of his responsibilities with the Bucks, he has had one of the toughest shot diets in the league; his shot quality last year was the 31st-hardest in the league, with an expected eFG percentage of 43.86, according to Second Spectrum. He attempted only 18 uncontested shots in all of 2022-23.

With Lillard around to force issues and take difficult shots -- he had the 11th-hardest shot quality in the league last year -- Middleton will see more open triples and fewer doubles in the middle of the floor. He could be the most overqualified third option in the league this upcoming season.

Milwaukee’s first-shot half-court offense was a relative weakness this past season. It scored 99.6 points per 100 half-court possessions, excluding offensive rebounds. That was a solid mark, slightly above league average, but Milwaukee was generally exceptional elsewhere. Yet that is where Lillard’s superpower will be most felt. Lillard is floor-warping as a shooter, pick-and-roll operator, isolator, and driver -- all of which occur in the half-court. As a result, the Blazers were 11.6 points per 100 half-court possessions better with Lillard on the court than off, once again excluding offensive rebounds. That was the seventh-highest such mark in the league, far above any Buck last season.

If Milwaukee’s half-court offense sees the boons that it should, the Bucks will have no weakness. It has its clutch closer -- Lillard has the most (25) game-winning or -tying shots in the last 10 seconds of the game since joining the league. It has its half-court operator who will almost always ensure the Bucks get a good shot; and, even when it doesn’t, Lillard will make sure the Bucks make the tough ones regardless. The Bucks have a player who will help the team play faster and more dynamic -- while also ensuring they will succeed when they grind into the stasis of isolation. It will be easy for Griffin to implement his offensive philosophy, and he’ll be insulated by Lillard’s tough shot-making when plays grind to a halt.

I was underrating Dame as well, this is going to be quite a bit of fun. Hope the young athletic guys are working on their defense and corner 3's.

[paulpressey25]

As we learned with Jason Kidd, if Momma not happy, no one is happy. With Dame, he now doesn't have to worry about Momma being happy.

(not a great situation for the kids, but obviously he brought them along to Milwaukee the other day, which is cool)

[paulpressey25]

I was underrating Dame as well, this is going to be quite a bit of fun. Hope the young athletic guys are working on their defense and corner 3's.

That article was a GREAT read. Think the season will come down to Middleton's health. He's got to be healthy to bang down those opener jumpers he'll get.He can play more like Klay Thompson now, versus having to create something out of nothing.

[jimmybones]

That article reinforced a thought I already had. I am curious as to Griffin's philosophy on rotations, specifically if he will rotate a starter or two out early in games or do more of a line change second unit. I think it would be beneficial to stagger Khris out to both maximize the time Giannis and Dame are on the floor together and allow Khris to cook on the second unit - he's a pretty elite weapon as a third option cook vs second units type of dude while Giannis and Dame get breathers.

Khris as your second best shot creator/bucket getter is doable if he's in top form but as a third he's a luxury.

[emunney]

Let's do line changes to get Giannis those juicy Jokic on/offs.

[emunney]

Great now the phrase "outrageous shin angles" is going to be rattling around in my brain until I die.

[German Athens]

Let's do line changes to get Giannis those juicy Jokic on/offs.

I was thinking the same thing.

Earnestly, though, I think they should maximize Giannis and Dame’s time together. It’s potentially game-breaking.

Khris and Giannis is a mutually beneficial pairing, and they were out there together about 70% of the time in 21 and 22, but this is another tier beyond that.

[Ayt]

The athleticism Dame shows on these two plays is sick, especially at his age.

https://youtu.be/lFd4uKBdfXE?t=263 Start at 4:23 if the direct link doesn't work.

The explosion on the first play is great to see, and the hesitation and burst on the next play is absurd.

[Shaffty]

You guys were underrating Dame????

[ReasonablySober]

The athleticism Dame shows on these two plays is sick, especially at his age.

https://youtu.be/lFd4uKBdfXE?t=263 Start at 4:23 if the direct link doesn't work.

The explosion on the first play is great to see, and the hesitation and burst on the next play is absurd.

I'll be honest, when I watched his highlights from last season and saw him posterizing dudes I was taken aback.

[Ruben Quevedo]

I was underrating Dame as well, this is going to be quite a bit of fun. Hope the young athletic guys are working on their defense and corner 3's.

That article was a GREAT read. Think the season will come down to Middleton's health. He's got to be healthy to bang down those opener jumpers he'll get.He can play more like Klay Thompson now, versus having to create something out of nothing.

You are going to be disappointed. Klay knows how to move off the ball. He cuts hard and often.

Khris is a statue in comparison. It's just not his game. He's an iso guy whose efficiency is declining because his athleticism is declining.

We needed Khris to be a creator and scorer. Now that we have Dame, we need guys who will grind and do all the little things. I think the development of Marjon and AJJ will have a greater impact on our season than Middleton's health.

[BUCKnation]

Continues to be really weird that people are twisting themselves into knots, wondering if Horst is feeling remorseful about the Dame trade now that Jrue is in Boston.

It really is incredible what getting traded to Boston does for your reputation in the national media, they wouldn't be salivating about Dame getting locked up by Jrue & hyping him up if the teams were reversed. IMO Smart is a better overall defender with all the extra dirty **** does, Jrue might be a smothering wet blanket on defense but Smart is like getting towel whipped soaked in piss, ****, & bees. I'll take getting smothered with the wet blanket thank you.

Honestly, Boston getting rid of those kind of defenders with Grant and Smart in favor for a more honest defender like jrue is probably a huge win for the Bucks. Feels like those type of dudes agitate Giannis more than anyone else.

[emunney]

Continues to be really weird that people are twisting themselves into knots, wondering if Horst is feeling remorseful about the Dame trade now that Jrue is in Boston.

It really is incredible what getting traded to Boston does for your reputation in the national media, they wouldn't be salivating about Dame getting locked up by Jrue & hyping him up if the teams were reversed. IMO Smart is a better overall defender with all the extra dirty **** does, Jrue might be a smothering wet blanket on defense but Smart is like getting towel whipped soaked in piss, ****, & bees. I'll take getting smothered with the wet blanket thank you.

Honestly, Boston getting rid of those kind of defenders with Grant and Smart in favor for a more honest defender like jrue is probably a huge win for the Bucks. Feels like those type of dudes agitate Giannis more than anyone else.

Most importantly, they get him counting fouls.

[MartyConlonOnTheRun]

I feel like we are going to be what the nets were supposed to be through (hopefully) better health and chemistry.
KD>Giannis (Debatable)
Dame>Harden
Ky=Midds
Brook>>>Jarrett Allen
Brown=Ladder

We are little bit older and have a shorter shelf life, but feel we would crush the Nets and they were a supposed super team.

[Shaffty]

I feel like we are going to be what the nets were supposed to be through (hopefully) better health and chemistry.
KD>Giannis (Debatable)
Dame>Harden
Ky=Midds
Brook>>>Jarrett Allen
Brown=Ladder

We are little bit older and have a shorter shelf life, but feel we would crush the Nets and they were a supposed super team.

delete this

[emunney]

I feel like we are going to be what the nets were supposed to be through (hopefully) better health and chemistry.
KD>Giannis (Debatable)
Dame>Harden
Ky=Midds
Brook>>>Jarrett Allen
Brown=Ladder

We are little bit older and have a shorter shelf life, but feel we would crush the Nets and they were a supposed super team.

Jarrett Allen was traded for Harden. God this must be so embarrassing for <checks notes> this says 'me' that can't be right